A revived youth service has been dubbed “instrumental” in reducing anti-social behaviour in Billingham.

“Elsie” the double decker bus was brought back to the town in October 2017 by Community Interest Company (CIC) Involve Tees Valley - to help offer a pop up youth club and activities for troublesome young people.

Members of Billingham Town Council heard how figures of anti-social behaviour in the town had “dropped steadily” in recent months in the wake of Elsie’s return.

PCSO Gulshan Ditta told the committee last night (May 21) how the work of Involve has been “instrumental” in bringing down figures of anti-social behaviour.

She said: “When they are on the bus it gives relief to members of the public and the police because they are positively engaged in something else rather than hanging around the town centre.”

The bus used to be run by Stockton Council and was relaunched by former council workers Julie Thornton and Kevin McCabe through Involve.

The pair have worked with young people for the past six months trying to steer them on a better path by holding chats on the bus and following up individual cases with police, the council and families.

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Ms Thornton said: “In October we started six weeks of intensive work which reduced anti-social behaviour by 50%.

“We had 50 or 60 young people in the park then and it was a hotspot - people also had a bad reputation in the town.

“But we have now worked really intensively with that group of young people.”

John Whitehead Park has traditionally been a troublesome spot in Billingham. A dispersal order was issued in October to stop youths gathering at the site.

But police figures show cases of reported anti-social behaviour in Billingham, Norton and Haverton Hill have dropped from 748 in the first three months of 2017 to 596 in the first three months of this year.

Ms Thornton told councillors how letters to parents and door-knocking had been effective in tackling bad behaviour when Involve got going.

She said: “We received just short of 100 replies - mostly from parents saying thanks for the information about our young person in the park, they won’t be going back.”

Ms Thornton told councillors the company was making Billingham its base in order to maintain “long-standing relationships” with young people in the town.

And she also revealed Involve was on the hunt for extra funding so it could hold extra sessions in the park.

PCSO Ditta said there were still problems with cases of vandalism and criminal damage in Billingham - but she believed things had improved.

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She revealed one of the town’s “most prolific offenders” had been given a Youth Order which had “sent ripples” throughout the group of regular troublemakers.

“It has sent out a very loud and powerful message to other people who might be involved in the group,” she added.

She also praised the work of Involve in helping take the strain off police.

“Involve came around with the youth bus and it’s worked very well in supporting the police.

“It engages them in a different way because they are concentrating on different activities and make a positive contribution with people who say “I hate the police” - it gives them a different perspective.”

Richard Bradford, a civic enforcement officer for Stockton Council, told councillors figures of anti-social behaviour had “dropped off steadily month by month” right across Billingham.

He added: “The major problem youths are getting down the line now in terms of orders being put in place.

“Some have been issued and others are in the pipeline - that’s part of the reason why the area is quietening off and obviously it’s having a positive effect in terms of anti-social behaviour.”